What's fresh for dinner?

It seems like I can't pick up a newspaper or magazine without hearing about yet another community promoting an "eat local" campaign. There's even a new name for people who promote eating locally-grown foods: localvores.

If this interests you, check out this cool website: http://www.nrdc.org/health/foodmiles/ from the Natural Resources Defense Council. You can enter your state and time of year, and it tells what types of local foods are fresh and available.

I just tried this for Vermont in late May, and found that I should be able to purchase artichokes, asparagus, and rhubarb. OK, asparagus and rhubarb are understandable, but artichokes? According to Wikipedia, artichokes are a perennial thistle (that sounds tasty!) found in the Mediterranean. They've been exported to California, which produces almost 100% of the artichokes grown in the US.

There's no mention of Vermont-grown artichokes here, so I emailed the website. I'll post their response.

The good news is that in early June I should be able to find strawberries, greens, potatoes, and boysenberries as well as asparagus, rhubarb, and those elusive artichokes.

Check out the website and find out what's fresh in your area.

What the heck is a localvore?

Omnivores are people who eat meat and plants.
Herbivores are people who eat only plants.

What are localvores?

According to the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) of Vermont, localvores are:
" people committed to eating and learning about foods grown close to home.". Most localvores commit to eating foods grown and produced within 100 miles of their home. Many grow a large portion of their foods themselves. The idea is that if we eat more food grown close to where we live, less fuel is needed to transport the food which not only cuts down on fuel costs, it's also better for the environment.

If you're interested in more info on this topic, check out: http://www.nofavt.org/localvore_articles_list.php

My local area is sponsoring a 7-day localvore challenge later this month, asking people to commit to eating only foods grown and produced within a 100 mile radius for those 7 days. They're starting with a potluck dinner this Sunday evening, and I plan to attend. I strongly support farmer's markets as a way to encourage the local farming economy and enjoy absolutely fresh foods.

I'll post more about the pot luck and the challenge itself later this month. Meanwhile, here's a challenge for everyone reading this post: find out about localvore groups in YOUR area, or even start one yourself!